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Gender Inequality in Safety and Security Perceptions in Railway Stations

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  • Pierluigi Coppola

    (Dipartimento di Meccanica, Politecnico di Milano, Via G. La Masa 1, 20156 Milano, Italy)

  • Fulvio Silvestri

    (Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Impresa, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Roma, Italy)

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that gender is the personal aspect that mostly affects mobility patterns and travel behaviors. It has been observed, for instance, that female perception of unsafety and insecurity when traveling using public transport forces them to make unwanted travel choices, such as avoiding traveling at certain times of day and to specific destinations. In order to improve the attractiveness of public transport services, this gender gap must not be overlooked. This paper aims at contributing to research in gendered mobility by investigating differences in safety and security perceptions in railway stations, and by identifying which policies could be effective in bridging any existing gap. The methodology includes the collection of disaggregate data through a mixed Revealed Preference/Stated Preference survey, and the estimation of fixed and random parameters behavioral models. Results from a medium-sized Italian railway station show that female travelers feel safer in the presence of other people; they prefer intermodal infrastructures close to the entrance of the station and commercial activities in the internal premises. Moreover, unlike male travelers, they do not appreciate the presence of hedges and greenery outside stations.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierluigi Coppola & Fulvio Silvestri, 2021. "Gender Inequality in Safety and Security Perceptions in Railway Stations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:7:p:4007-:d:529942
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alejandro Ortega Hortelano & Monica Grosso & Gary Haq & Anastasios Tsakalidis, 2021. "Women in Transport Research and Innovation: A European Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Pierluigi Coppola & Diego Deponte & Alessandro Vacca & Federico Messa & Fulvio Silvestri, 2022. "Multi-Dimensional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Prioritizing Railway Station Investments: A General Framework with an Application to the Italian Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Contreras, Hugo Alejandro & Vallejos, Cristian Esteban Candia & Rodriguez-Sickert, Carlos & Ferres, Leo & Olchevskaia, Rodrigo Vladislav Troncoso, 2024. "Fear of Crime Constraint Gender-Specific Mobility Patterns," SocArXiv y3fv5, Center for Open Science.
    4. Shixingyue Hu & Yazao Yang, 2024. "Safety of female ride-hailing passengers: Perception and prevention," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Carolina Busco & Felipe González & Nelson Lillo, 2022. "Safety, Gender, and the Public Transport System in Santiago, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Fan, Shiqi & Yang, Zaili, 2022. "Safety and security co-analysis in transport systems: Current state and regulatory development," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 369-388.

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